Current Affairs 11th August 2017

Muslim clerics urge UN to take action against Hafiz Saeed for anti-India activities on - 9th August 2017

Non-biodegradable plastic bags usage banned by NGT - in Delhi

Full-fledged Hyperspectral Imaging Earth observation satellite to be developed by - ISRO

Current Affairs 11th August 2017 - Details

Swachh Survekshan Gramin 2017 launched by - Union Government

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a third party verification survey report to take stock of the progress made by the Swachh Bharat Mission on 8th August 2017 in rural India.The Swachh Survekshan Gramin 2017 report was launched at a press conference held in New Delhi by the Union Minister, Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation,Narendra Singh Tomar and the Secretary, Parameswaran Iyer.During the press conference, it was announced that, to encourage States and districts to improve their Sanitation coverage and Solid Liquid Waste Management (SLWM), the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation will be starting to rank all districts in India based on the data available on the SBM-G IMIS quarterly.The ranking will be done based on parameters of Sustainability, performance and Transparency, and the first ranking will be announced on 2nd October 2017 for July-September 2017 quarter.In addition to that the Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) will be celebrating the week leading up to the 70th Independence Day as Khule Mein Shauch Se Azaadi Saptaah.QCI (The Quality Council of India) conducted a transparent third-party assessment of the present status of rural sanitation in all the States and the Union Territories, called as Swachh Survekshan Gramin 2017.Key highlights of Swachh Survekshan Gramin 2017

Under the Swachh Survekshan Gramin 2017, QCI surveyed 1.4 lakh rural households across 4626 villages, and found the overall toilet coverage to be 62.45 percent.

At the time of the survey, i.e. May-June 2017, the Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) MIS reported the toilet coverage to be 63.73 percent.

The survey observed that 91.29 percent of the people having access to a toilet and they also use it.

Online registration for custodians of securities launched by - SEBI

Markets regulator SEBI launched online registration mechanism for custodians of securities to make it convenient for them to do business on 9th August 2017. The new system will going to help custodian of securities to complete their registration and other regulatory filings with SEBI in an affordable manner. All applicants interested to seek registration as a custodian of securities are now required to submit their applications online only.

The custodian of securities seeking approval as DDP (Designated Depository Participant) in terms of Regulation 11 of SEBI (FPI) Regulations, 2014, will also be needed to apply through this portal. Custodian of securities holds shares and other assets in physical and electronic form.

Muslim clerics urge UN to take action against Hafiz Saeed for anti-India activities on - 9th August 2017

With a demand that he should be punished for his "anti-India" activities, over 1000 Muslim clerics and imams from India requested the United Nations to take action against the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack mastermind Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed on 9th August 2017.

The group passed a resolution to this effect in a gathering in Mumbai at Madrassa Darul Uloom Ali Hasan Ahle Sunnat.Abdur Rahman Anjaria, who introduced the resolution and is Mumbai-based NGO Islamic Defence Cyber Cell head, said the resolution, that also denounced the JuD along with several other Pakistan-based terror outfits, has been forwarded to the UN Security Council's Counter-Terrorism Committee along with a copy marked to the Prime Minister's Office.Anjaria said Hafiz Saeed and the terror outfits he is heading are a threat to global peace.Hafiz Saeed calls India enemy Number one but he himself is the enemy of Islam and humanity. Speaking on Kashmir issue, he said Kashmir is an internal issue of India and no third party should interfere in it. In 2015, Anjaria had initiated the world's biggest fatwa against the terror outfit Islamic State and got it signed by over 1000 Indian Muslim clerics and imams.More about Hafiz Saeed and Jamaat-ud-Dawa

Born in 1948, Hafiz Muhammad Saeed is a co-founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba and the chief of Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), which operates mainly from Pakistan.

The group had sanctions placed against it as a terrorist organization by the United Nations.

Saeed is an internationally designated terrorist but is very influential among certain religious groups.

The United States announced a bounty of $10 million on him in April 2012 for his alleged role in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks in which 164 civilians were killed including 6 American citizens.

He is considered as one of its most wanted terrorists due to his alleged ties with Lashkar-e-Taiba and his alleged involvement in attacks in India in case of India.

He is listed most Wanted list on the NIA and India has banned his organization as a terrorist organization.

Jamaat-ud-Dawa formed a political party named Milli Muslim League party with a focus to enter politics of Pakistan.

Reports suggested that the party will follow the ideology of Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) earlier in August 2017.

Non-biodegradable plastic bags usage banned by NGT - in Delhi

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) imposed an interim ban on the use of non-biodegradable plastic bags that are less than 50 microns in Delhi, the national capital on 10th August 2017.A bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar made this announcement. The bench also announced an environment compensation of Rs 5000 on anyone found in keeping these banned bags.The bench directed the AAP-led state government and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) to file an affidavit by a senior most officer and inform it on how the directions with this regard to waste management in the city were being implemented especially with respect to plastics.Furthermore The bench also directed the state government to confiscate the entire stock of plastic within a week with in an immediate effect.

Full-fledged Hyperspectral Imaging Earth observation satellite to be developed by - ISRO

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced in August 2017 that it will be soon launching a full-fledged niche Earth Observation (EO) satellite using a critical chip that it has developed.The chip is technically called an “optical imaging detector array.” The EO satellite will be named as Hyperspectral Imaging Satellite (HySIS). However, no specific time-frame is yet decided for the launch by ISRO.

Important highlights

As per the ISRO, the Hyperspectral Imaging Satellite can see in 55 spectral or colour bands from 630 kilometers above the ground.

Hyperspectral imaging is said to be an EO trend that is being experimented all across the world.

Adding an altogether new new dimension to plain-vanilla optical imagers, it can be used for number of activities from monitoring the environment, looking for oil, crops, and minerals all the way up to military surveillance.